Consumer

Call 12: Exception to airline credit voucher rule

If a passenger cancels a scheduled flight, he/she has one year to use any credit from that unused ticket. But that's one year from the ticket's purchase date - not the travel date.

That's most airlines' policy. But when the cancellation is for matters out of your control, fight to get the airline to make an exception.

Alexa Dalbik and her kids are planning a big vacation that almost never happened. In May 2011, right after school ended, the family was preparing for a trip to Damascus to visit her husband's family.

"The State Department issued a travel warning that you were not allowed to travel to the Middle East, to Syria, at all," Dalbik said.

Delta Airlines gave her one year to use the credit on the unused tickets. Dalbik thought the clock started ticking from the travel date. But airline credits are good for one year from the date of purchase. The tickets were purchased in March 2011, which meant the family trip would have to be completed by March 2012.

"We wanted to take a more extended trip and I didn't want to take the kids out of school for that amount of time," Dalbik said.

The credit was about to expire. Dalbik explained to Delta that the new trip couldn't start until the kids were out of school - just like the old trip.

Dalbik said she was told, "Too bad, we're not going to extend it any further than what we've already said."

"The first thing I said to my husband was 'Dave Cherry,'" she added.

Call 12 Volunteers and I pointed out to Delta that Dalbik had no control over the Syria trip being cancelled and how her children could not take a three-week vacation during a school term.

"It took about two days and Delta said that they would give us to the end of June, or the beginning of July, in order to use our credit that we had with them," Dalbik said. "Channel 12, always gets the job done."

Airlines rarely make exceptions when it comes to extending unused tickets, but 12 News thought this case warranted an extension.

We want to thank Delta for extending Dalbik's full $3,000 credit until after her kids were out of school.

Still, this serves as a reminder to airline travelers that the clock on credits starts ticking from the "purchase" date - never the "travel date."

Since the travel warning is still in effect, Dalbik and her family have decided to take a trip to New York City. It will be the first time her kids have visited the Big Apple.

Veronica Sanchez, Dave Cherry and Robert Anglen lead the Call 12 for Action team. Call 12 for Action has a team of trained volunteers working to help people resolve disputes with companies. Last year, Call 12 helped recover more than $1 million for customers.

Here to help

If you have a problem with a business you would like us to investigate, contact Call 12 for Action.

By phone: Volunteers take calls from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at 602-260-1212.